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 Madigan issued the alert Friday in launching a statewide
awareness campaign with Kids in Danger and other advocates to point
out the risks of tip-over accidents. This followed reports of
children being injured and killed after climbing on unsecured
furniture, including dressers, nightstands and bookshelves.
The campaign comes in the wake of two nationwide recalls this
week of dressers made by Bexco and Gemme Juvenile and the tragedies
that resulted when children attempted to climb up the dressers,
including the 2011 death of a 2-year-old Barrington toddler.
This week's recalls by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission underscore the inherent risk of tip-over accidents. Since
2011, at least four other Illinois children were killed in furniture
tip-over accidents, and each year an estimated 22,800 children under
the age of 9 go to emergency rooms because of injuries caused by
unsecured furniture, televisions and appliances.
"It's important for parents to know that unsecured, heavy
furniture falling over on a child causes preventable injuries and
deaths so that they can secure dressers, bookcases, stoves and
televisions in their homes," Madigan said.
Madigan urged families to follow guidelines provided by the CPSC
to secure furniture in their homes:
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Anchor furniture
to the wall or floor.
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Place televisions on sturdy, low-base stands or furniture, or
anchor the furniture and the television on its base, and push the
television as far back to the wall as possible.
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Keep remote controls, toys and other items of interest to
children off television stands or furniture.
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Keep television and cable cords out of reach.
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Ensure that free-standing kitchen ranges and stoves are installed
with anti-tip brackets.
"According to the CPSC, one child dies every two weeks in a
tip-over incident. With stronger standards, educational outreach and
access to anchoring straps, we can keep children safe," said Nancy
Cowles, executive director of Kids in Danger.
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 Madigan announced the awareness campaign on behalf of her
Illinois Safe Home Coalition, which was created to respond to and
educate the public on product safety dangers. Members of the Safe
Home Coalition are Kids in Danger, Lurie Children's Hospital of
Chicago, the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians, the Illinois
Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners, the Illinois Chapter
of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Illinois PIRG, the Illinois
Poison Center, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, Shane's
Foundation, and the University of Chicago Children's Hospital.
The Safe Home Coalition will distribute a poster statewide to
educate parents and caregivers on securing furniture and televisions
in their homes to prevent tip-over accidents. To view or download a
copy of the poster, visit
http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/
pressroom/2013_02/Tip_Over_Poster.pdf.
Consumers seeking more information on the risk of furniture
tip-over should contact Madigan's Product Recall Hotline at
888-414-7678, TTY 800-964-3012 or 866-310-8398 for Spanish speakers.
Madigan also urged parents and caregivers to sign up at
www.recalls.gov for
email notification of recalled products.
[Text from file received from the office
of
Illinois Attorney General Lisa
Madigan]
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